Chapter Text
February 25, 2023. 7:30 A.M.
Greyridge, The Laughing Fox Inn, 20th Floor.
Tetsuya slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he thought of doing was unsheathing his sabre, which he was holding onto with his left hand, then immediately glanced down at the reflection.
The color of his eyes were brown.
Right at that moment, a voice called out to him.
"You're awake already?"
Tetsuya quickly put the sabre back in its sheath as he lifted his head up to look at who the voice originated from.
His eyes soon focused in on a purple-haired girl, sitting on a chair that was right beside the door. Her arms were crossed and she stared back at him, albeit with a cautious expression.
"Mito."
She didn't respond right away. Instead, she decided to point out something that seemed rather irrelevant.
"It's already the 25th."
Tetsuya remained silent.
The 25th. The 25th of February.
It shouldn't be possible. It should only be February 23. That was the date when he shut down in front of the 19th Floor Boss.
A couple of days had already passed since then.
Based on the look that Mito was giving him, he already knew that he wasn't exactly unconscious the whole time during that time span.
He slowly lowered his head.
"...what did I do?"
Mito proceeded to explain via a quick summary.
"You helped us when we were in quite the bind against the 20th Floor Field Boss. You then helped to rally everyone and advanced towards the labyrinth. You also helped us defeat the 20th Floor Boss. After that, you went back here, and went to sleep. That's what happened in the past two days."
Before Tetsuya could even ask, Mito added that no harm came to any Clearer. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
"No casualties. All thanks to you."
It was after that added statement that Mito proceeded to ask him a question. There was no sugarcoating or beating around the bushes of any sort. It was direct. It was confrontational.
"I don't know why I'm recalling all of this for you. You should know what happened. You were there. Weren't you?"
Tetsuya averted Mito's gaze.
He didn't really have an answer for that. The "person" that woke up two days ago might not be the same person that woke up just now. He confessed his own ignorance. But there was no bliss to be found there.
"I... don't remember."
He might not remember. But she did.
Her mind flashed back to that one specific image.
Tetsuya, battered and bruised. Blue eyes. Smiling.
She was conflicted about the answer he gave her. Either he was trying to get an easy way out or he genuinely meant it. She continued the confrontational attitude.
"How can you not remember?"
Tetsuya insisted that he was speaking the truth.
"Because I don't. I just don't remember. I can't recall it no matter how hard I try. I..."
In that moment, the memories that seemed to be missing came rushing back.
Arriving just in time to help rally the Clearers right as they were about to reach their breaking point.
Rushing in towards the five [War Berserkers] and somehow coming out on top.
Performing his newest 12-hit combo and defeating the [War Chieftain] with the [Tri-Slash] skill.
Then, of course, those words he thought of. The closer he was to death, the more alive he felt.
It was an unpleasant experience, having to go through all those "hidden" memories. Two days' worth of memories in two seconds.
Tetsuya ended up grasping his own chest as he began breathing heavily, trying to cope with the variety of emotions and thoughts he was attempting to process.
His silence along with his body language clued Mito in to the fact that he was now aware of what had happened in the past couple of days.
"So, now you remember."
Tetsuya still felt confused and even betrayed in a way.
"But I... But I don't remember doing any of that... The last thing I remember was the 19th Floor Boss... I swear... I... I don't remember how I got there..."
Mito sighed a bit while before pinching her own temple.
"You must understand my confusion when you say you don't remember and that you seem to be implying that what I've said just now is impossible, and yet, it's what I saw. It's what happened. Now, I know we're trapped in a virtual game, but I'd still like to be grounded on some basis of reality here. You can't be in two places at once."
Tetsuya could only remain silent.
However, that was not going to last. Especially when Mito stated something that was simply a matter-of-fact. It couldn't be denied nor refuted.
"I saw you there, Tetsuya. I saw you."
Tetsuya just looked away to the side.
"I don't know what you want to hear from me."
Mito groaned audibly.
"An explanation!"
It was at this point that Tetsuya finally glanced over at Mito. He was frustrated.
"About what?!"
Mito stopped crossing her arms and clenched both her hands into fists.
"About what I saw! Tetsuya, I... I thought you'd never come back! Dammit, I was supposed to leave the Clearers! To go back for you! To take care of you! My worries were put away when I saw back on your feet... But then... But then when I saw you look at me... It was like staring at a stranger... You... You only spared a glance at me! It's like... It's like you didn't recognize me!"
She was already on the verge of tears.
"I... I know I wronged you... But even so... Why would you look at me like that...?!"
Tetsuya was at a loss for words.
Unfortunately, silence was not the answer Mito wanted or even needed.
"Tell me!"
Tetsuya just responded as honest as he could manage.
"I don't know how to tell you!"
Mito was not going to let up.
"Why?!"
Finally, Tetsuya gave an answer that Mito could understand, even if it wasn't what she wanted to hear or expected to hear.
"Because I don't understand it myself!"
Mito backed away momentarily.
"What...?"
A few seconds of silence passed.
At first, Tetsuya wanted to reserve any further words for later or even at another time. However, he knew that it would be a betrayal of both the trust and loyalty that Mito had displayed.
Even if she had made mistakes, no, no matter what mistakes were made, she was and always will be his friend. A friend needs to hear the answers.
"I meant it when I said that I didn't remember... You have to understand... From my perspective... I shut down... Then I woke up in this very room... Whatever happened in between... I don't know... And I'm scared... So scared... I'm so scared to tell you the possibility that whatever did happen... It wasn't even under my control..."
Mito slowly shook her head.
"But...-"
Tetsuya took a deep breath.
"I know... I know that it's difficult to even wrap your head around... But I swear to you, this time, I'm not lying nor hiding things from you..."
He then began to recount what he did remember. At least, prior to the two days' worth of memories flooding back in to his consciousness.
"Look... After I shut down... I... I woke up in my own mind. Pitch black everywhere else except the middle... Where I was. And.... And, beside me, there was... There was this TV... An old TV... It was a CRT TV... I... I remember it from my childhood... It's... It's where I played PlayStation games on... But.... But the console was missing... It was... It was just that TV..."
Mito then remained silent. This allowed Tetsuya to continue recalling the events from before.
When he remembered a decent enough portion, he continued to speak.
"And... I saw myself there... But... Something was different... The way he spoke, the way he moved, the way he smiled... There was just... There was something off... But I... But I couldn't figure it out..."
Mito then asked a question.
"...what color were his eyes?"
A few more seconds of silence passed.
Tetsuya hesitated at first but soon gave his answer.
"....blue."
An image flashed back for Mito - Tetsuya standing in front of her and glancing back at her with cold blue eyes.
Mito's eyes were already a bit wide. There was both surprise in that reveal and also a confirmation of something she was always suspicious about, even back when she first saw him after the fighting arena incident.
"It wasn't you..."
Tetsuya nodded slowly.
"Yeah... It... It wasn't me."
The 'what' was now established. What needed to be answered now is 'why'.
"But... But why...? Why is there another you...?"
Before Tetsuya could even say anything, Mito beat him to the punch, not wanting to hear some specific words or phrases.
"And don't tell me that you don't know... Please."
Fortunately, Tetsuya wasn't looking for an easy way out nor was he trying to deflect the question. He remained honest with her.
"It's difficult to pinpoint why. There are many reasons."
Mito was willing to take the time for it.
"Then tell me all of the reasons, one by one. Because, Tetsuya, this is not something I can't just set aside nor forget about. This involves you. Because of that, it also involves me."
Tetsuya nodded slowly once more.
"I know... I know."
To start off things, Tetsuya asked Mito a question.
"What do you remember about your childhood?"
Mito thought about her answer for a few seconds before replying.
"Quite a few. Uh, most memorable things I remember... First, my first handheld console. It was a PlayStation Portable. Spent countless hours on it. Uhm, secondly, the first game I ever bought with my own money, money that I saved up from my allowance. It was a Monster Hunter game. And, lastly, landing my first gymnastic trick. It was a.... back handspring. I fell over dozens of times before finally getting it right."
She was smiling a bit. Perhaps there was some nostalgia mixed in there. Overall, recalling childhood memories seemed to hold nothing but positive emotions for her.
It was after going back through memory lane that Mito began thinking about the relevancy of such a question.
"Well... That's what I remember. What about you?"
Tetsuya began scratching the back of his head.
"That's the thing. I don't.... I don't remember much."
He first got the obvious facts out of the way.
"Naturally, I know where I was born. I know where I grew up. I know who my parents are. I know what they did for a living. I know they got divorced later on. I know that I went to Tokyo. And... I know that my mom died of cancer."
It was the specifics that Tetsuya had no memory of.
"It's just that... The finer details... They get lost along the way. I can't seem to recall it, no matter how hard I try. Every now and then, my mind... It searches for things. Things that... seem to be missing. But at the same time, it's like... It's like it's hiding things. It's this constant push and pull."
While he had no memory of it, there was "someone else" that remembered it just fine. In fact, this "other person" was the same one that reminded Tetsuya of it all.
"Back in that place I told you about, in my own mind, that other Tetsuya... He... He showed me something. Something that... I had forgotten about... But... I knew it to be true."
Mito was very careful with her next question.
"What exactly did he show you...?"
Static noises began to slowly creep back in to Tetsuya's mind as he began to recall memories of the past.
But not just any ordinary memories.
Repressed ones. Meant to be locked away forever.
Yet here he was, about to dig them up.
...
June 8, 2012.
Matsuda Town, Western Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
A young Tetsuya was staring up at the sky.
Some clouds went past, with one even covering the sun, casting a shadow on the boy. It provided some much needed shade.
Beside the boy was a small bike, styled to look like a BMX. It had fallen over to the side.
It wasn't because Tetsuya had an accident or anything. He simply left the bike in that position before sitting on the grass.
He had previously spent the last hour just riding his bike around town, trying to catch the wind, and simply going as fast as he could manage.
Tetsuya was trying to enjoy every day of summer break. Once April comes around, it'll be back to school. He'd be in the second grade by then.
Such things were trivial to Tetsuya. For now, at least. It was too soon to be thinking about school.
The only concern that he had right now was what to do next. While it was relaxing here, he couldn't just sit here and stare at the clouds forever.
"Hmmm... Maybe I should pass by the convenience store later. Buy some lemon soda. I'm sure Tomo would also like some apple juice."
Tomo. The name of his sister.
While Tetsuya was more outgoing and liked to play outside, Tomo was quite the opposite. An introvert. Someone that preferred playing with her toys inside the house rather than experience the heat of the sun and walk on the pavement.
He could still remember the way his full name was arranged on the birth certificate. He had to provide a copy to the school that he went to.
Hosaka Tetsuya.
It was written in the usual way that Japanese names were written. Last name first then given name right after.
That's why his sister's full name followed a similar format.
Hosaka Tomo.
There wasn't any risk of confusion either. Matsuda was a relatively small town compared to the other urban cities in Japan. Here in this town near the river, there wasn't any other family carrying the surname Hosaka.
There was only one Hosaka family. Tetsuya and Tomo's.
He looked at the time on his wristwatch.
It was 10:32 A.M.
While he did eat breakfast earlier, he was starting to feel hungry again. Tetsuya decided that now would be the best time to get up and go to the convenience store to pick up some refreshing drinks and some cheap and fulfilling snacks.
Tetsuya stood up and picked up his bike before getting on it.
He then began pedaling. Just a few seconds later, though, he hit the brakes and stopped fully. The reason was because he caught something in the corner of his vision. A familiar silhouette.
When he glanced over to the side, he saw the person that he was just thinking of earlier. His sister.
It was quite rare for Tomo to be outside. Maybe she was just trying to look for him.
A few more seconds passed before Tetsuya realized that something was wrong.
Tomo was wiping tears that were streaming down her cheeks. At the same time, she was covered in mud.
Tetsuya immediately got off his bike, letting it fall back down to the ground, and sprinting towards his sister. At the same time, he called out to her.
"Tomo?! TOMO!!!"
Tomo's eyes widened as she began looking around for that familiar voice. Soon enough, she saw her brother running towards her, and while there was relief in her eyes, there was also fear and shame.
Once he was close to her, it was worse than he anticipated. There seemed to be egg on her too. He could already tell that it was most likely thrown at her.
Tomo remained silent as she continued crying while Tetsuya pulled the towel from behind his back and began wiping some of the mud and runny egg off of her face.
"What happened to you...?"
Tomo continued crying and coughing, only able to mutter a few words in between.
"I... Father... He... He told me to buy some eggs... Since... Since we ran out of eggs in the fridge... And... And he was busy on a call... So... I headed out... But... After I bought some eggs from the store... I... Some... Some boys, they approached me and surrounded me... And... And... They..."
Tetsuya continued wiping the mud away. This time, he tried his best to wipe off the mud from her hair. He urged Tomo to take it slow and breathe.
"Hey, hey, hey... Slow down... Alright...? I'm listening... Take your time first... Just breathe...."
Tomo nodded slowly.
She took a minute to compose herself, but even after that, she was still shaken.
"The boys, they... They started making fun of me... And... And they stole the bag of eggs and they wouldn't give it back... And... And... They said that they'll only give it back if... If I roll in some mud..."
The mud on her clothes and skin was indication that she did go along with their whims.
But that wasn't enough to satisfy them.
"Even when I... did as they told me... They... One of them... He said... Sure... We'll give the eggs back to you... And they started throwing the eggs at me... I... I had to run away..."
Tetsuya's eyes flared up in anger.
"Who....? Who said that to you?!"
Tomo tried her best to recall what the other boys called him.
"Emon... I... I think it was Emon..."
Tetsuya continued frowning.
"Emon? Black wavy hair? The one with a bruised knee?"
Tomo nodded slowly.
"Y-Yeah... How'd you know...?"
Tetsuya explained that they weren't complete strangers.
"I raced him on a bike. He tried to shove me onto a parked car. I shoved him onto the sidewalk. That's how he got his bruised knee."
Before anything else, Tetsuya wanted to bring news of this event to their father. After all, he was the one that had Tomo go out.
'Why couldn't he do it himself, geez....'
He went back and retrieved his bike then returned to Tomo.
"Come on, let's go. Let's tell Father about what happened. He'll help us. I know it."
Tetsuya got on the bike and Tomo stood up behind him on the pegs connected to the rear then held onto his shoulders. They both then headed back home.
While Tetsuya and Tomo were hopeful that their father would be able to help them out, the reality was quite different.
From the moment that Tetsuya and Tomo walked through the front door, their father was standing there with a stern look on his face, staring disapprovingly at Tetsuya.
The way the situation looked was not in favor of the boy. His sister went out to buy eggs. Now, she was back with her brother, and she was covered in mud and eggs. Their father immediately believed Tetsuya to be the culprit.
"I send your sister out on an errand and this is how you decide to help her! By making a waste?! By making a mess?!"
Tetsuya was quick to defend himself. That couldn't be any further from the truth.
"Father, we-"
However, Tetsuya and Tomo's father wasn't hearing any of it. To him, it just sounded like excuses.
"What is this time, huh?! You got carried away?! Or what, you thought it would be funny?! Is your sister laughing about it, Tetsuya?! Does it look I'm laughing too?! You've got some nerve, boy, doing all of that and dragging your sister along with your antics!"
Tetsuya immediately frowned.
"It's not like that!"
Tomo tried her best to defend her brother but the moment that she was going to speak up, their father continued barking words at them.
"I don't care! I'm running late to an urgent meeting! I had to wait for you two because no one's going to be around to watch the house! Get your sister cleaned up and stay inside! Got that?! It's the least you can do for her."
Tetsuya groaned and was on the verge of throwing a tantrum.
"BUT I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!"
Their father immediately raised his hand, causing Tomo to cower and look away while forcing Tetsuya to lower his head.
One more scolding was in the works.
"Don't you dare talk back to me, boy! Now, watch the house while I'm gone and until your mother comes back. AND GET YOUR SISTER CLEANED UP, YOU HEAR?!"
Tetsuya and Tomo's father then retrieved his car keys and began to head out of the house. Tetsuya felt that he had only one more chance to try and reach out to him.
"Listen to us, dammit! Tomo was-"
However, their father simply shut the door on them, and just a minute later, the engine of a car starting could be heard, followed by a small tire screech, implying that he had already left and gone on his way.
Frustrated and feeling completely hopeless, Tetsuya groaned loudly and grabbed a nearby shoe before throwing it at the door.
"AGHHH!!!"
Tomo slowly walked over and pulled on the hem of her brother's t-shirt.
"It... It's okay... Maybe he's... just... got other things to do..."
Tetsuya didn't think that was a justifiable excuse.
"What other things to do?! You're getting bullied out there! We can't just let that happen!"
Tomo slowly lowered her head.
"But... He left... So... Maybe it's not as important..."
Tetsuya was heartbroken to hear those words come out of Tomo's mouth. He didn't even know what to say to that. There was nothing else to say. That was the attitude their father had on the matter. It wasn't as important.
Tomo then turned around and decided to clean herself up.
"I'll... I'll rinse this off... You should put the towel in the laundry too... Since it's dirty..."
Their father didn't care enough to even hear them out.
But Tetsuya thought otherwise.
He glanced at Tomo one more time.
"After you get cleaned up, put up some new clothes."
Tomo then turned around to look at him, confused, until Tetsuya made his intentions clear.
"I want you to point me in the direction of where you saw Emon and the others."
...
Tetsuya rode his bike all the way to the nearby store selling primarily poultry products. This was where Tomo bought the eggs. Speaking of Tomo, she was standing on the pegs on the rear, and was holding onto Tetsuya's shoulders again.
She was tagging along for this journey.
From this point, Tomo retraced her steps, pointing in one direction, prompting Tetsuya to pedal in that direction. They continued this trend right until they reached a nearby riverbank.
A riverbank where a handful of boys were still playing.
Tetsuya stared at them from the distance.
"You recognize any of them?"
Tomo nodded slowly.
"I... I recognize all of them..."
Tetsuya nodded slowly.
"Alright. Here's what's going to happen. I'll approach them but I'll stop and leave my bike near the top there. You stay there. Okay? If anything bad happens, I want you to get the bike and ride off as fast as you can, then just call for help."
Tomo slowly shook her head.
"No... No...! I'm not leaving you alone with them...!"
Tetsuya admitted that he wasn't about to let the boys off. He was going to do that no matter what.
"I'm not going to let them get away with what they did to you. But that's what I'm going to do. I won't let you be in danger again because of them. You have to promise me that you'll do as I say. Alright?"
Soon enough, Tomo nodded slowly.
"Okay..."
Just like what he said, Tetsuya pedaled to near the top of the riverbank before getting off, prompting Tomo to hop off as well.
He then rested his bike onto a nearby tree. That was where Tomo decided to stay behind as well.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a bit, before opening them once more. Brown eyes, under the shade of the nearby tree.
Tetsuya then began to walk towards the group of boys.
It wasn't until Tetsuya was getting close that one of the boys pointed out to him.
"Hey, look! It's piggy's big brother! Must be tough having an ugly pig nose of a sister!"
Everyone quickly got up and turned around.
The last to turn around was a boy with black wavy hair, wearing a red shirt.
Tetsuya stopped just a couple of meters away from them. He then greeted the kid in the red shirt.
"Emon."
Emon responded in kind.
"Yo, Tetsuya."
Tetsuya glanced down at Emon's knee. Just as he thought, it was still bruised. He then smiled faintly.
"How's your knee?"
Emon laughed softly.
"Getting better. Why? You want a rematch? I'm ready all week. Summer break doesn't end for quite a while, you know."
Tetsuya's smile slowly faded away.
"That's not what I'm here for."
Emon glanced up and noticed a familiar figure waiting nearby a tree. He then scoffed and began shaking his head.
"Oh? Is that why you brought your sister along?"
Tetsuya didn't even bother looking back to glance at Tomo. He just kept staring at Emon.
"I want you to apologize to my sister."
Emon tried to play coy about what Tetsuya was saying. After all, ignorance is bliss, or so they say.
"Apologize for what?"
Tetsuya remained silent. Not because he didn't know what to say and also because he was in disbelief that Emon would deny this now.
Rather, it was simply because he was emulating what his father would do when he'd catch him or Tomo in the middle of a lie. He'd always remain silent before calling them out on it angrily.
Tetsuya was going to do the same thing. The silence made the atmosphere tense. But, soon enough, he spoke up.
"Don't take me for a fool."
Emon began laughing softly while pointing at Tetsuya before glancing over at his friends. They all seemed to mock the serious attitude that Tetsuya was displaying.
Some were even teasing him for it.
"Look at this guy."
"Hey, this isn't a TV show! Quit showing off with one liners!"
"Unbelievable. It's like he's a nerd."
Emon then spoke up after.
"Don't go around this town thinking just because you got your dad's surname, we're supposed to bow at your feet and give you respect."
Tetsuya decided to correct Emon about what he had said just now.
"I'm not here as my father's son. I'm here as Tomo's brother. You bullied her. The least you could do now is apologize to her."
One of the boys stepped forward and pointed towards a nearby pile of mud.
"Oh, sure, we'll apologize. But, only if you roll in that pile of mud first. Just like what your sister did earlier."
Emon laughed and high-fived the boy with a smile on his face.
"That's a great idea! Well, how about it, Tetsuya? Why don't you humor us?"
Tetsuya didn't fall for the trap. He stood his own ground. He knew what he came here for. Those boys messed with his sister. If anything, they should do what he was asking them to do first.
He made sure to let them know that he wasn't gullible.
"If you're looking for humor, a joke is what you should be looking for. Shouldn't take too long. There's five of you that seem to fit that description."
The boy that suggested Tetsuya roll around in mud took offense to that and clenched his fist.
"What the hell did you say?!
Tetsuya quickly doubled down.
"You heard what I said. You're a bunch of bad jokes. Even a clown would feel terrible when presenting you chumps."
The other boys also took offense.
"Chumps?!"
"You're just some rich man's son, don't get carried away!"
"We'll see who's the real chump!
However, Tetsuya ignored all of them.
He just glanced back at Emon and offered an out.
"I'm giving you one last chance, Emon. Apologize to my sister."
Whether it be pride, disdain, or simply looking down at Tetsuya and Tomo, Emon shook his head and gave his reply.
"No."
Things went silent.
The wind that was once a gentle breeze turned into a strong gust, carrying with it dead leaves, brushing past both Tetsuya and Emon, along with the other four boys.
Just when it seemed like Emon and his friends were certain that Tetsuya just handed an empty threat to them, Tetsuya then spoke up.
"Fine. Just know that I gave you a heads up first."
Before Emon could fully comprehend that statement, Tetsuya began running towards the five boys, but not before pulling something out from the waistband of his shorts.
A towel, covered in mud and eggs.
Tetsuya immediately threw the towel at the face of the kid that was suggesting that he roll in mud earlier, temporarily blinding him.
With the group of boys now confused between helping their friend get the sticky towel off his face and stopping Tetsuya, it provided a small window of opportunity.
Tetsuya proceeded to tackle Emon, pushing him along for a bit in order to gain some distance between him and the other boys. Soon enough, though, he shoved him down to the ground.
He then lifted his foot above Emon's knee and slammed it down, stomping on the bruise mark.
Emon screamed in pain.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
This drew the attention of the other four boys, who then began to run towards Tetsuya.
With Emon temporarily out of the fight, Tetsuya could focus his attention on the other four. It was all a matter of twisting things to his advantage.
Tetsuya grabbed a handful of gravel, and once the boys got close, he threw it at one of the boys' faces.
The other three just continued going after him, fists already raised in the air. In response, Tetsuya ran towards one of them then proceeded to trip him, going low and avoiding the punch and extending his leg to make them fall over.
That left only two to deal with. He caught the punch of the first boy but knew that the second would be able to land a free hit.
The best he could do now was prepare for it.
Tetsuya took a punch to the body and exhaled as loudly as he can. He then threw a counter punch at the second boy's face and then threw another one for good measure.
Just as the first kid from earlier was going to hold him back, Tetsuya quickly ducked then elbowed him in the groin.
This caused the boy to fall down to the ground too.
By now, the boy who was temporarily blinded by gravel had recovered and cleaned his face up, and was now running towards Tetsuya.
Rather than be intimidated, Tetsuya remained calm.
'They're starting to go in one by one. This is my chance.'
The boy tried to go for an uppercut. Tetsuya quickly backed off in order to dodge the punch then used his right leg to kick the boy in the chest.
Before Tetsuya could do anything else, he felt both his arms get restrained as he was pulled away.
When he turned around to see who it was, it was the boy that he tripped down to the ground earlier.
'Dammit... I forgot about him...!'
The boy shouted out to the other kid, still recovering from the kick.
"COME ON, GET HIM!"
The boy in front of Tetsuya began winding up a punch.
Tetsuya waited until the last possible second before elbowing the sides of the kid that was trying restrain him. He then moved his head to the side, barely avoiding the punch, causing it to hit the face of the kid behind him.
"Ow! Watch where you're hitting!"
He took advantage of the chaos and did two quick punches to the boy in front of him, sending him down to the ground.
Tetsuya then turned around to shift his focus to the kid restraining him earlier. He pulled the kid up from his knees then threw a strong punch right to his face, knocking him down to the ground.
The kid covered his face in pain and stayed down. That was one out of the five taken care of.
Wanting to make two of five as quickly as possible, Tetsuya ran towards the boy from earlier, the one who still had some gravel on his face.
He tried to kick the boy in the face but his foot was caught and he was subsequently shoved down onto the ground.
The boy then got on top of him and began throwing punch after punch at his face.
Tetsuya had his hands raised and over his face to cover up, but still, some punches were able to sneak through.
'I can't stay in this position forever... I have to get out of this somehow...!'
After taking another punch to the cheek, an idea popped up in his mind.
'My fists can't reach him but... If he gets close enough... My elbows can...'
The kid winded up for another punch. This time, he was going to do a right hook.
Again, Tetsuya waited for the last possible second. Just as the punch was about to connect, he turned his elbow and pushed it forward, hitting him on the side of his body.
The force of the elbow knocked the wind out of him. The boy had to grasp for air.
This gave Tetsuya the opportunity to push him up and away, making him roll across the ground. Tetsuya chased after him then threw a punch right at his abdomen, incapacitating him as well.
Two out of five.
The two other boys from earlier - the one he elbowed in the groin and the other, who he punched twice, had stood up and grouped up.
'Not good... I was hoping they'd be separated from each other... What should I do...?'
Tetsuya quickly began scanning his surroundings, looking for something he could use.
As the two boys began approaching him, Tetsuya began taking a couple of steps back.
On the second step, he felt his balance shift. It wasn't enough to make him fall over but it was very noticeable. It was like his foot was sinking.
When he glanced down, he saw that his back foot was now in some mud. He was on the edge of the pile of mud.
This was it. This was precisely what he needed.
The only thing left to do now was to draw them in.
Tetsuya raised both his fists and smiled.
"What?! Too scared to run in?! There's two of you already! Or maybe you can't take me on after all!"
The two boys glanced at each other before scoffing. One of them then shouted back.
"You're gonna regret this day for saying that shit, rich kid!"
Tetsuya simply kept smiling.
"Come on then. COME ON!"
The two kids obliged. They ran towards him with fists at the ready.
Tetsuya urged himself to be patient. Showing his trump card now would defeat its purpose. He had to wait. If he rushed things now, it might not work out in his favor.
'Not yet... Not yet...'
One. Two. Three.
Four. Five.
'Now!'
Tetsuya quickly ducked and grabbed a handful of mud before throwing it at one of the boys' faces, temporarily blinding him again.
The other boy just continued running towards him.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, BASTARD!"
Tetsuya was then tackled to the ground by the other boy. Now, they were both in the mud.
Unlike before, though, the other boy's attempts to try and pin Tetsuya down to the ground and beat him up did not go as planned. The mud was slippery. It was also uneven.
This allowed Tetsuya to slip through right under the boy. He then spun around while dragging his feet across, causing the boy to fall down to the ground.
Instead of replicating the boy's mistake of attempting to pin down the opponent, Tetsuya knew that the lack of grip would only allow for one decent strike.
It had to be a powerful one.
Tetsuya leapt up slightly, deciding to use gravity for his own benefit, and as he was falling down, he threw a punch right at the kid's face, just as he was about to get up.
The force knocked the kid down to the ground. Tetsuya also landed down on the ground soon after.
Now that they were beside each other, Tetsuya decided to switch tactics, going for quick close punches, repeatedly striking the boy's abdomen.
This continued right until the boy raised his hand and just tried to push Tetsuya away. He couldn't take anymore.
Tetsuya forced himself to get back up and was now facing the fourth kid, who had just wiped the mud off his face, albeit unsuccessfully, since he couldn't really see well.
Tetsuya decided to continue taunting him in order to bait him to get closer.
"COME GET ME!"
The boy could hear him, but he couldn't see where Tetsuya was due to the leftover mud. He had inevitably made it worse by trying to scrub it off.
Still, the direction of voice was enough. The boy ran in that direction.
Running on mud was not the brightest of ideas though. The inevitable happened only a second later.
The boy slipped and fell to the ground.
Tetsuya carefully walked over to the boy, who was still trying to wipe the mud off his own face and struggled to get himself up.
He proceeded to land a hard kick against the boy's abdomen, taking him out of the fight indefinitely. The boy had to hold onto his abdomen in pain and didn't bother even trying to fight back after.
Tetsuya dragged himself out of the field of mud and sat down on the gravel before breathing heavily, coughing a bit, and wiping the sweat from his forehead using the clean part of his arm.
He didn't forget what he came here for. Or who, rather.
Tetsuya glanced in the direction where he remembered Emon still was, only to find him not there.
He didn't escape or get away. He was just nearby.
Emon managed to get up on his feet, or foot, rather, and was trying to limp away.
Whatever fatigue Tetsuya had experienced up until that point had faded away. He managed to stand up again and started walking after Emon.
"Where do you think you're going, huh? You think I'll just let you get away?!"
Emon nervously glanced behind him before trying to limp away faster.
Tetsuya eventually went into a sprint, but it didn't last long. He didn't need to run far to catch him.
He grabbed hold of Emon then slammed him down to the ground before getting on top of him. He immediately threw a punch towards the middle of Emon's face. It seemed to make his nose sore right after.
"You piece of shit... Telling my sister to go roll in mud... Throwing eggs at her... FOR WHAT?!"
He wasn't even asking for an answer. Before Emon could speak, Tetsuya threw another punch, this time, landing near the mouth of the boy.
"I gave you a chance... I GAVE YOU A CHANCE TO APOLOGIZE, YOU STUPID BASTARD!"
Emon tried to cover his face with his hands, but Tetsuya punched the side of his body to make his hands go away. After that, he punched Emon's cheek. The force of the punch was enough for a tooth to fly out of Emon's mouth.
"IT'S TOO LATE TO SAY SORRY NOW! NOW I'LL MAKE SURE YOU'LL REGRET EVER HAVING MADE THAT STUPID FUCKING CHOICE!"
In between words were punches.
"DON'T YOU EVER!!! BULLY!!! MY SISTER!!! EVER AGAIN!!!"
The adrenaline could only last for so long. He eventually ran out of gas. He couldn't keep up his flurry of punches any longer.
Tetsuya glanced down at his hands and wondered if the pigment from Emon's shirt had somehow spread onto his knuckles. However, when he saw a similar color splattered on the ground, he realized that it wasn't pigment.
It was blood.
Tetsuya took a few more deep breaths as he stared down at his hands. Meanwhile, Emon was already crying, trying to cower away.
"Please... Please stop... I... I won't do it again... Just... Please let me go..."
For even just one second, Tetsuya couldn't believe that it was genuine. It felt as if he was only saying it to save skin.
That angered Tetsuya even more.
He raised his fist to punch Emon one more time.
Just as he was about to deliver that final blow, he felt someone pull on his arm.
When he glanced at who it was, it turned out to be Tomo, who left the spot where she promised she'd wait. She had a very concerned look on her eyes.
While this was going to be karma striking back at them, and while Tomo didn't have any qualms or disagreements with what Tetsuya did, there was a disagreement regarding as to how far he was willing to go.
"Brother... That's enough... Please..."
Tetsuya glanced back at Emon before glancing back at Tomo, his fist still at the ready, and for a moment, he was considering just putting his hand down.
However, in that moment, he remembered the image of their father walking out the door, not even sparing a single care in the world for them.
If he stopped, there might be a chance that Emon might not learn his lesson, and Tomo might be subjected to cruel treatment in the future.
All because their father didn't do anything.
While his father didn't do anything, Tetsuya himself was determined to do everything.
One thought echoed in his mind.
'Don't forget what you came here for.'
He glanced down at Emon one more time. Tetsuya's eyes were completely covered in nothing but anger and rage. It was no longer controllable.
Tetsuya threw a punch at Emon's face, containing all the hate and disdain he had for him, and he held nothing back.
Just like that, it was a blackout.
| The Sins of Our Fathers, Part 1 |